Roland Kirk was a brilliant jazz and blues musician. Altough hw was blind, he used to play multiple instruments at the same time. He was also an influential flautist, employing several techniques that he developed himself. One technique was to sing or hum into the flute at the same time as playing. Another was to play the standard transverse flute at the same time as a nose flute. Kirk was also a major exponent and practitioner of circular breathing. Using this technique, he was not only able to sustain a single note for virtually any length of time; he could also play sixteenth-note runs of almost unlimited length, and at high speeds. His circular breathing ability enabled him to record "Concerto For Saxophone" on the Prepare Thyself To Deal With A Miracle LP in one continuous take of about 20 minutes' playing with no discernible "break" for inhaling.

In 1975, he suffered a major stroke which led to partial paralysis of one side of his body. Despite this, he continued to perform and record, modifying his instruments himself to enable him to play with only one arm.